Archives for Dragon Speed

DragonSpeed Indy 500 Team Storylines 19 May 2019 – Having earned a row nine starting position for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in yesterday’s dramatic qualifying, debutant team DragonSpeed and rookie driver Ben Hanley are looking forward to the coming week’s preparations for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” on and off track. With interest…

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SOURCE: DRAGON SPEED PR 18 May 2019 – DragonSpeed, the international sportscar team which has won endurance races in IMSA, ELMS, and FIA WEC competition this year, will focus its energies on expanding its current schedule of selected NTT IndyCar Series events in 2020. DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian said, “The Le Mans 24 Hours next…

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12 March 2019 – Globetrotting sportscar racing team DragonSpeed launched its 2019 NTT IndyCar Series program with a solid finish in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg. On his IndyCar debut and first single-seater race since 2010, British driver Ben Hanley claimed 18th place with a steady run, rewarding three weeks of intense effort by the DragonSpeed crew since taking delivery of its Dallara IR18-Chevrolet machine.

After each of its three practice sessions were cut short by technical issues, the 2019 Rolex 24 LMP2 class winners’ luck turned in qualifying. The team’s eagerness to try out the softer red-sidewalled Firestone tires allowed Hanley to set a fast time on his first flying lap before the session was interrupted by the first of two red flags, securing a surprise 12th starting slot on the 24-car grid.

The race was less dramatic, with Hanley running as high as eighth and 12th at various stages; leading entries from the Foyt, Coyne, and Carpenter teams before his first pit stop; and reeling off a notably consistent series of laps in the mid-1m03s range during his final stint. The result also netted 12 championship points for the Elton Julian-led squad.

“It’s been a really positive weekend,” said Ben Hanley. “We knew we were jumping in at the deep end, so simply finishing is an achievement in itself. Our longest run before the race was just eight laps, so we learned a lot more about the car today and tried out some aspects of IndyCar racing that are totally new to us, like the push-to-pass. I have to thank Elton for turning this dream into a reality, the crew’s fantastic race prep and pit stops, and the engineers who made the car more competitive each time out.”

“Today was a vital first step which gives us a solid basis for further improvement,” said Elton Julian. “Running the full distance let us get a feel for how an IndyCar race unfolds and even experiment a bit with strategies and settings. Despite the car only running for the first time last Monday and our problems in practice, we not only finished but hauled ourselves to within a second of the midfield pace over the course of the weekend. I’m super proud of Ben and the team, and grateful to the IndyCar paddock for the welcome and support they’ve given us – we’re honored to be part of this great show.”

After contesting next weekend’s 1000 Miles of Sebring round of the FIA World Endurance Championship with its regular LMP1 and LMP2 entries, DragonSpeed’s next IndyCar outing will be at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park on 4-6 April. The Indianapolis 500, Road America, and Mid-Ohio will complete the team’s IndyCar 2019 pilot program as it seeks backing for a full season in 2020.

17 December 2018 – American endurance racing team DragonSpeed will return to US competition in 2019. Its rookie IndyCar Series season will cover five races, highlighted by the 103rd Indianapolis 500 in May. The 2017 European Le Mans Series champions will also be in action Stateside with their regular LMP1 and LMP2 machinery at the IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona season-opener in January and the Sebring 1000 Miles round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in March, as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

For its IndyCar Series debut, DragonSpeed has secured Chevrolet power for a new Dallara chassis to be driven by Ben Hanley. The 33-year-old Briton enters his fourth season with the team, having built a name as one of the world’s leading sportscar pilots. The new combination will make its track debut at the official pre-season test at the Circuit of the Americas on 12-13 February.

The remainder of DragonSpeed’s IndyCar Series schedule will include St Petersburg, Barber, Road America, and Mid-Ohio with the goal of accommodating its WEC commitments and exposing the team to a variety of tracks in readiness for its target of a full season in 2020.

Team principal Elton Julian said, “IndyCar is enjoying a major upswing thanks to the quality of the racing produced by the current regulations. The fans see it, the teams see it, the manufacturers and sponsors see it, and I think NBC saw it when they decided to take on the television coverage. With so much interest from new entrants, we’re also grateful for IndyCar’s support of our bid to join the series and to Chevy for making room for us in their engine program.”

“For the team, it’s a matter of our growing experience catching up to our ambitions. The last few seasons of endurance racing have given us an intensive platform for developing our preparation, race engineering, pit stop, and strategy skills. We also have strong open-wheel credentials up and down the team, and Ben’s pace and exceptional detail feel for set-up and tires should be a great asset.”

“None of this is to underplay the difficulty of the challenge ahead, because IndyCar is the toughest series we’ve ever contested, with the world’s biggest race as its centerpiece. On the other hand, we didn’t go from club racing a decade ago to a Pirelli World Challenge title in 2015 to prototypes at Le Mans without climbing a few mountains, and I take a lot of confidence from the talent and spirit of the people we’ve put together for the next summit.”

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